I absolutely loved this new fantasy YA from Zoraida Cordova! It swept me off my feet from page one and I could not put it down.

Thank you to the publishers for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

It took me a while to get into the book because not a lot was going on but the end is so fast paced that I burned through it. There were a lot of twists and while I was able to guess most of them, I stayed entertained. I also thought the magic with the use of memories and how that played out with the story was cool. That being said, I wish that the magic and world had been better explained. So much of the story seemed dependent on drama. It almost felt like this was book 2 of a story rather than book 1. I love a good slow burn but that's not even what this was, it just felt underdeveloped. I also thought that the characters weren't very memorable.

I was excited to be able to read this one early because the premise definitely intrigued me. I love a story with a good magic system and someone that steals memories is a magic I haven't read about before. There were things that I liked and also things I didn't like but let's start with the positives.

A cool aspect that this author wove into the chapters was the memories. Whenever Renata would do her thing, the reader would be able to read the memory and what had occurred. I thought that it was well done and added more depth to the story and to help bridge past and presence for the plot line.

Another thing I liked were the plot twists. I did see a couple coming but the farther you get into the book the more enticing they become. The last 20% of the book goes by pretty quickly because there is so much going on. Secrets are being shared and lines are being crossed. I can't go into much detail because it would be hitting spoiler territory but if you know what I love in books then it's in here!

The characters were a bit bland. Renata does have more development with Prince Castian holding onto second place. The other characters were okay but definitely stayed in their minor character lane. I am curious to see how they will all flush out in book two.

As for the dislikes, one of the things I needed more of was world-building. It just lacked too much for my taste. I also would have liked more about the rebellion or even the magic system.

Overall, it was a good book and that ending grabbed me enought to make me want to read the next in the series when it is available.

Renata has magical powers, in a world where that could get her killed. She has the ability to take memories from others. Renata is a member of The Whisperers, an underground group that is fighting the royalty and trying to protect those who are magical. The story is complex but doesn’t manage to fully pull all of the aspects together, but those may tie together with the later books in the series. The story starts disjointed and slow but later it is intriguing. Fans of deeper fantasy will enjoy this book.

I am almost at a loss for words after reading this book. I flew through it and felt myself yearning to find out what happened next the entire time. Since I finished this book at lunch time today, I have been recommending it to everyone and anyone who would listen. I can't wait for the next one and I am beyond grateful for getting the chance to read this amazing book!

This book was AMAZING and there were so many things to love beyond a creative and engaging plot.. The story is full of women asserting themselves, there are seamless (non token feeling) mentions of LGBTQ characters and the underlying theme of "otherness" that may make people behave badly, or the negative way that is expected of them. The world that is created by the author is one where everything and everyone exists but, much like the world we live in, people have to fight to be accepted and heard. I can not wait to bring this book into my classroom as I think many of my student will relate to the themes and the characters.

I don't know how I can begin to explain my feelings about this book.The beginning was interesting and captured my attention almost immediately. There was magic, and secrets, and a war against people. I needed to know more. Then we immediately jump into the story where we meet our main characters and get thrown all this information about the world and the past and suddenly I completely regretted wanting to know more. It just felt like way too much too soon.

Now ‘Incendiary’ is a big book. Not the biggest book out there, not even in the YA community, but this book intimidated me. I’ve read longer books so I don’t know why I was so hesitant about picking up this one. However as I got through the first chapter, I realized what was wrong. Unfortunately, I wasn’t connecting with any of these characters. I kept reading and telling myself that it was too early in the book for me to judge but as the pages went by, I just couldn’t do it. I gave up and I hate saying that.

I think my biggest issue from what I did read was that it was very detailed and through alot of history at the ready. So much history all at once that it felt like the pages were dragging on and on. That and there wasn’t enough action and in between. It had too much downtime with the characters not really doing much to keep my attention. Unfortunately I have to mark this one as DNF.

Oh man, this book. Filled with magic, spies, betrayal, and heartbreak. The perfect combo to keep me up until 3 in the morning. I devoured it, how will I make it until the next one!

A highly interesting book with a good premise. It truly benefits from a longer word count - the story has time to grow and it feels more epic. Some things are a bit convoluted and there is a cliche here and there, but it's not so much of a problem.

Ren is a very diverse character with so many different things that combined make her awesome. She is a memory thief and has lived a thousand lives through those stolen memories. She is also a spy so YES, count me in to purchase this book for my libraries collection. The world building is fantastic and combined with beautiful writing, this book is a must have for YA collections.

I will most likely purchase this title for my library, but I cannot seem to get into it. I am 43% into this title, but I cannot force myself to sit down and read it. I like it when I am reading it, but it doesn't make me want to continue when I stop.

~~ I received an ARC of Incendiary from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review ~~

Wow. I remember the feeling of reading Zoraida Cordova’s Vast and Brutal Sea trilogy and being completely sucked into the world building, her characters and the twists and turns of her narrative. I’m so pleased to say that Incendiary is no different. Renata is a complex character and the characters around her all carry the weight of personal tribulation and trauma. I absolutely loved the plot and honestly did not want to put this book down. I can’t wait to see what’s next for Renata.

As a child, Renata was stolen by the crown and used to find other magic-users in the kingdom. She was manipulated into stealing the memories of traitors, and this led to the deaths of thousands of her own people.

Renata is now part of a rebel group of magic-users called the Whispers. Renata is a memory thief, one of the rarest and most-feared types of Moria magic. When her unit leader and lover, Dez, is taken, she launches an unsanctioned rescue mission. Things quickly spin out of control, and Renata finds herself back in the palace, once again acting as a hand to the crown. Can Renata complete her mission, despite her hatred for the crown, the prince, and everything they stand for?

Incendiary reads very slow in some places - I found myself skipping pages, and some of the plot points were fairly predictable. However, I was not expecting that one betrayal at the end, so that was a nice surprise.

It's not the best in its class, and it can't really stand up next to the likes of Leigh Bardugo or Sarah J Maas, but the characters were interesting and diverse, and the world-building was interesting. If this particular genre is your thing, this is a good option.

When it's all said and done: would I recommend this book, and would I read any sequels? Yes, to both.

#Incendiary
#NetGalley
Another great book from Zoraida Cordova. I exciting and dangerous fantasy that young adults will thoroughly enjoy.

When I started reading Incendiary, I fell in love with the characters, the world, and the author's wonderful writing. It hooked and amazed me from page one! I was really interested to see how the mystery/questions/etc would be solved, what twists and turns awaited, and how all the good stuff would be revealed.
...but then the second half, from the Sun Festival onward...I was lost. Several times action happened in a whiplash sort of way, it left me confused. The BIG secrets were revealed in a disappointing and mundane way. Where was the big AHA! moment? The pacing was off, bouncing between locations with no regard to time or the amazing character development that had been laid out in the first half.
Overall, I really cared for the character and her story but was left disappointed and wanting more.

Wow! This is a long book but very much worth the read!
Summary:
I am Renata Convida. I have lived a hundred stolen lives. Now I live my own.

Renata was only a child when she was kidnapped by the King’s Justice and brought to the luxurious palace of Andalucia. As a memory thief, the rarest and most feared of the magical Moria, Renata was used by the crown to carry out the King’s Wrath, a siege that resulted in the deaths of thousands of her own people.

Now Renata is one of the Whispers, rebel spies working against the crown. The Whispers may have rescued Renata years ago, but she cannot escape their mistrust and hatred-or the overpowering memories of the hundreds of souls she drained during her time in the palace.

When Dez, the commander of her unit-and the boy she’s grown to love-is taken captive by the notorious Principe Dorado, Renata must return to Andalucia and complete Dez’s top secret mission herself. Can she keep her cover, even as she burns for vengeance against the brutal, enigmatic prince? Her life and the fate of the Moria depend on it.

But returning to the palace stirs childhood memories long locked away. As Renata grows more deeply embedded in the politics of the royal court, she uncovers a secret in her past that could change the fate of the entire kingdom-and end the war that has cost her everything.

There's a lot going on in this book - lots of twists right up until the end! Magic, death, love, heartbreak, secrets and much more. I really loved this book and while it seemed to slow down in the middle, everything came together in a massive twist at the end. I love books that keep me guessing, and even though I did figure out one plot twist, there was so much more going on. Can't wait for the next book in this series to find out what happens to Ren!

Ren has magical powers. She can take away memories from people. The memories she takes, she keeps and they sometimes haunt her.
She is part of a group of magical people called the Whispers. They are trying to save others like themselves from their king who is killing magical people as fast as he can find them.
The king however does keep a few magical people for his own use. Ren’s ability is rare and she had already belonged to him before she escaped. Back then, her “uncle” took care of her and instructed her on how to use her ability. He didn’t let Ren see the shells of people left behind when she took too many memories.
Ren still is trying to fit in. Her ability is rare and the whispers don’t trust her. The king wanted to use her. Who will be there for her?
Holy cow! If I could give this book ten stars, I would! I was really daunted at first with the length of the book but it had me captivated. I was constantly guessing at what would come next and pleased when I guessed right. This book captivated my mind when I couldn’t read it and left me ignoring reality when I could. Best young adult book I’ve read this year, hands down!

I really love Zoraida Corsica’s writing and Incendiary is no exception. I couldn’t put it down, despite the fact that I’m reading two other books as well right now. I’ve already got it on my list for 2020 orders and preordered myself a copy too. Definitely one I’ll be recommending to teens!

This book was received as an ARC from Disney Book Group - Disney-Hyperion in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

At first this book was massively confusing at first learning about Renata and her past of stolen lives and now that she has settled in on her own, chaos erupts. Now she becomes one of the Whisperers, a rebel group that is destined to takeover and fight against the crown. This book is also packed with a lot of drama when Renata is re-encountered with her Whisperer friends who have drained her childhood life of the palace and complete the mission Dez the commander has given her to overthrow the Prince and finally take what she is destined for all these years. Once I got to the middle of the book, that is where my interest started to peak and the plot started to make sense. To some of our readers that is a concern and they question whether or not the book would be even worth finishing.

We will consider adding this title to our YA collection at our library. Even though the book was difficult and first to connect, once we did, we did enjoy it and that is why we give this book 4 stars.

I'm giving this book a good rating despite me being unable to get into it. I'm sure that it's a good enough book, it just didn't capture my attention.